Happy Valentine's Day!

Here are some adorable Valentine's pics from our little sweetheart! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Teaser

Come back tomorrow on Valentine's Day for two special posts:

• Hallie stars in her Valentine's Photo Shoot
• A snippet of Chris and Michelle's Love Story

Just Playing

It is a simple pleasure to quietly observe Hallie at play. She could entertain herself for hours. I don't want to imagine how trashed the house would be afterward though! I had to refrain from picking up her room before I took these pictures. But, I realized that these were real. Hallie had pulled everything out for it to look this way. We picked it up today. Let's see how long that will last!

Jump! Jump! Jump! (and updates)

One of Hallie's new favorite past times is jumping-- perhaps it is the influence of "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed." This is what she did first thing yesterday morning.

Another strange new habit of Hallie's is waking up in the middle of the night. The wierd thing is, she doesn't start crying-- she starts chatting! Chris and I woke up at 2 am two nights ago because she was basically having a tea party in her crib! She was just jibber-jabbering to her self in dulcet tones. Last night she did the same thing at 5 am. She is so funny.

Other exciting news--

• Michelle's cousin Matthew marries his Cosette Nielsen on Saturday in the Salt Lake Temple. The very same day Stephani Lee (Michelle's childhood friend) marries Anthony Strike Jr. in the Newport Beach Temple. I wish I could attend both weddings! But congratulations to both-- my heart is with you!
• Hallie and Michelle will be in Southern California the first week of March. They get to attend Michelle's cousin Benjamin's baptism as well as the highly anticipated wedding of Laura Fischer and Corey Riggins!
• Mark, Karen, and their two cutie kids will visit with us in Denver/Colorado Springs at the end of March.
• My Dad just surprised us by purchasing plane tickets to visit with my mother in the middle of April! Hooray! :)

Picture Book

Here is one of Hallie's favorite activities-- looking through our picture book. She gets so excited pointing out different people. She can point out all four grandparents. She is particularly obsessed with my brother Mark lately.

Drama Queen

I won't deny that I tend to be dramatic. I just can't believe how much Hallie picks up on it. Some of this has to be inherent. She woke up with a mystery bruise on her forehead. When I asked her what happened to her head she made an extremely pained face and slowly reached for her forehead. It cracked me up! Here it is for your viewing enjoyment . . .

Walking Update

Like most things in Hallie's development, she can walk but she chooses not to. Here Hallie walks the four foot expanse of her bedroom. She did this for us four times in a row. Sometimes when she walks, she forgets to pick up her left foot so she keeps it stationary while moving her right foot. The result is our baby slowly spinning in a circle. Here is Hallie walking for us. Notice how she claps for herself at the end.

Note: She isn't dragging her foot, she is just stepping and then stopping, then stepping again.

Congratulations Chris . . . again!

Wow Chris! I just want to gush about the super-teacher husband I have. After a mere five months of teaching at his high school, Chris was awarded with the "Super Spartan Staff Award." This is a huge deal because some teachers have been teaching for twenty years and have not received this achievement. I have to say though-- I am not shocked. Wherever Chris goes his co-workers always tell me how much they adore him and how he is a very valued employee. It was only a year ago that he was featured in our local newspaper for his creation of a website that helps his Spanish students study at home. It just reminds me how very lucky I am to be married to such a great man. He has a great gift for touching people's lives. I am glad I can share in the magic. Way to go Chris! Hallie and I are so proud of you. We look forward to all the other accomplishments you will achieve. I am glad you chose me to share this journey through life with. I love you.

Dinner Time

Here is our little Hallie at dinner time last night.

Photo Shoot

Hallie and I did a photo shoot for Valentine's Day today. Here are some of the highlights . . .


Don't worry! These sad bits lasted about 3 seconds. We actually got lots of sweet pictures. (I am waiting to reveal them at a later date). I took 277 total! Only half of them were salvagable because she moved so much the rest were blurry! Things were much easier at our Valentine's photo shoot last year. Then, all I had to do was prop her up and she sat there looking like a cherub.

In Rememberance

Our beloved prophet of the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away this evening. I love this man. I know that he was a prophet of God. I am not sad at the news of his passing. I am so happy that he can be with his wife forever. He led a beautiful life. I will look back on his words for guidance and inspiration for the rest of my life because I know he was inspired of God.

--Michelle

Tornado Hal

I organized Hallie's closet last week. I needed to box lots of items that were too small. So, I neatly folded her clothing and placed them in a box. Then, Tornado Hal came along and tore through the box. It was a game to her. She was on a mission to help me out by pulling absolutely everything from the box. She even checked to make sure everything was gone. She loves to do the same thing to her bookshelves.

I love you Tornado Hal! You may be messy but you sure are fun!

P.S. I am winded because I dashed down the hall and back to get the camera.

Special time with Daddy

Hallie and Daddy have a special bond. The love to sing and dance together. In fact, Hallie gets jealous if Mom and Dad slow dance. One activity Daddy and Hallie love to do is have snack time. Each evening before dinner they crawl over to the kitchen hutch and feast on Craisins.

"low rider" baby

Rudimentary Utensils

So, apparently Hal can use a spoon; she simply chooses not to. She lasts about four bites before she throws it down and plunges in her hand.

Five Little Monkeys

This is Hallie's new favorite song, I call it "Five Little Monkeys." My friend Shanda (a former preschool teacher) taught Hallie and I this fun song along with the actions. Hallie loves the "monkey" song. She tries to do the actions along with it. When I ask her if she wants to sing she always says "Ya!" and starts to motion for this song.

Other Hallie developments . . .

• She can fold her arms to pray. It is the most precious thing I have ever seen. The first time she did it she looked up at me with the most angelic, sincere look on her face. Chris or I will have to catch it on camera and post it.


• She is sick with bronchiolitis and is miserable. She has a little nebulizer with Albuterol. She justifiably has no appetite and whimpers and cries (which is so rare for our baby). Her eyes always look half-shut. It is tough to hear her wheezing.


• She loves baths but hates to get her hair washed. She especially loves being bundled up in a towel after the bath. She could sit snuggled tightly in her towel forever!


• The other day she was sitting on my lap and out of nowhere stabbed my eyelashes and proudly proclaimed "eye!" She has been on an "eye" kick ever since.


• She loves to "dress herself." This consists of throwing random articles of clothing over her shoulders and crawling around the house to show off.


• Whenever I give her a snack she is really excited about she says "hi!" to it as I place it on her high chair tray. It typically goes like this:

Mom approaches Hallie with a Ritz cracker. "Hallie do you want a cracker?"

Hallie inhales sharply, squeals, and exclaims "Yay!"

Mom places the cracker on Hallie's tray as Hallie claps her hands, grabs for the cracker while giving an exuberant and friendly "Hiiiii!"

Spoiled-Rotten Birthday!

I got my hair cut Thursday. My hair is so thick that it is much more manageable this way. So here is my spoiled, decadent birthday weekend re-cap:

Friday morning Chris woke me up with breakfast. He took the day off from work and surprised me by getting the day off for me too! We hung out during the day and he changed all the diapers (he is sooo good about that). That afternoon, Judy came to watch Hallie so we could escape for a date. Chris and I went out to eat at the Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou Springs. It was such a romantic atmosphere. They sat us in "Lover's Lane" which is a secluded section of the restaurant. Our first two courses we were all by ourselves. For our last two courses they seated other couples around us but it was still quiet and romantic. I really enjoyed myself but I am sorry to say that Chris did not enjoy his seafood. Overall, we both enjoyed the experience but did not want to spend that much money to do it over again. (We had a $50 gift certificate and it was still pricier than a normal dinner). But this was only the second time we had been to a fancy restaurant (the last one was Tavern on the Green in Central Park) so I think it is okay to splurge every couple years. That night we saw I am Legend. It was a very intense movie-- maybe a little too much for me. But it was so nice to be out!

On Saturday morning, Judy (Mom) took me to get my nail's done and then we went for a tour and tea at the Glen Eyrie Castle. It was the perfect girl's day! The castle was beautiful and we felt so cool to have cranberry orange tea and decadent scones with devonshire cream. After our tea we even got to wander around the castle by ourselves.

That night Mom watched Hallie one more time so Chris and I could go see Enchanted. I have a new favorite movie! It was like combining my favorite movies Beauty and the Beast and While You Were Sleeping into one awesome movie! Chris even bought me the soundtrack and we have listened to it several times already. (Dad and Mom you will love it!)

What a fun birthday, huh? Thank you for all the cards and well-wishes. I received beautiful cards and gifts from Chris, my grandmas, Chris' parents, my parents (my Mom's card was so nice I cried for 15 minutes), Karen Huff, and Keri van der Upwich. And I received calls from my brothers and brothers-in-law. And so many of you sent emails or web comments. Thank you for making my day so special. I don't deserve it but I am very thankful for it.

P.S. Chris got me the necklace in the top photos-- it's so pretty!

Comparisons

Our baby is nearing 16 months. I found pictures of Chris and I that are close to her age. What do you think?

In other news . . .

I am 26 today! It is actually the most accomplished birthday I've had. I feel pleased that at 26 I have a college degree, a great marriage, and am a mother to a happy, healthy, vibrant child. I also have the BEST family and great friends who love me. I feel like I have accomplished some of my biggest goals for myself. Of course, there are still many places to go and ways to improve but that is what makes life exciting and fulfilling.

Buckle your seatbelts; it's going to be a long flight!

After videos filled with silence and stoic looks, Chris finally figured out how to capture Hallie's expressiveness the way we normally see her. He placed her in front of the mirror. The result-- two minutes and forty-six seconds of jibber-jabber just for you.

Why?

Why did I give Hallie a bath when she subsequently peed all over herself before the diaper was on?
Why did I give Hallie a bath and then give her a jelly sandwich for lunch?
Why did I make her chicken and steamed veggies when she then staunchly refused to eat it?

I supposed these are just some of the questions a parent asks.

. . . onto the third bath of the day!

Blocks

I hope this doesn't bore you to tears. But, since you don't get to see her everyday like I do I thought you might enjoy simple footage of Hallie. Here she is playing with her blocks from Laura.

Lunch at Giuseppi's

One of our favorite restaurants is Giuseppi's Restaurant Depot. It sits directly next to the Denver Rio Grande Railway. One day as we were eating lunch we saw five trains go by. This was exhilirating for Chris who loves trains! The only problem with Giuseppi's-- the food isn't all that great; but the atmosphere is wonderful. So despite the bland fare, you'll see us there once or twice a year pouting about the food but pontificating about our surroundings.

Hallie walking with a walker

We went to a cute toy store downtown this morning. We love it because it has lots of classic toys, puppets, and books (as opposed to just fancy lights, levers, and music). Hallie found a walker and took right to it. After about two steps she congratulated herself by proclaiming "Yay!" as she pushed across the floor. Then, she insisted on walking across the room seven more times.

Hallie's First Steps

Hallie took her first three independent steps last night. We were practicing again between Mommy and Grandma Judy and Daddy. When Mommy got excited for Hallie, she squealed. Subsequently, Hallie got so excited everytime she started to walk she would scream with delight. It's only three steps and she is fifteen-months-old but it is still fun nonetheless.